


inferno

by Little Keplerette (classycloudcuckoolanderclasso)



Series: South Park Drabble Bomb May 2017: Outdoors [2]
Category: South Park
Genre: F/M, Fire, Gen, South Park Drabble Bomb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-11-03 15:54:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10970532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/classycloudcuckoolanderclasso/pseuds/Little%20Keplerette
Summary: There are fires in Nichole’s eyes that Token wishes he could take away, if only to bring her the peace of mind she deserved but could never have.





	inferno

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Fire - You can take the word ‘fire’ and twist it a million ways, but personally, I’m thinking of those first few campfires of the year. It’s still chilly at night, and the flames of a little fire pit are just enough to keep warm. Is your muse on a camping trip too? Are they playing with fire, and perhaps being a little too risky? Does the fire make them happy or fearful? What kind of emotions does it bring out to them? Is your interpretation of the prompt ‘fire’ much more sinister than I could ever imagine? On second thought, I don’t know if I’m ready.
> 
> [[ there are supposed to be flower emojis attached to nichole's name in token's phone, but ao3 doesn't seem to accept them. if you'd like to see them, the tumblr version of this drabble has it!! ]]

“You’re not going?”

Nichole paused in her weeding, leaning and sitting back on the heels of her boots to look back up at her boyfriend, Token, standing on the thick stone border between her gardenias and her peonies, maintaining a rather impressive balancing act for someone as large as him. “No, I don’t think I’m going.”

“Why not?” Token watched as the girl deftly pulled out a weed nestled among the gardenias and threw it over her shoulder in a perfect arc into the pile of uprooted weeds. “Are you going to be busy?”

Nichole thought about it for a moment, and then shook her head, searching around for another weed. “Not in particular, no.”

“Then what’s the matter?” Pause. “Is it because Stan and his crew are going?”

Nichole’s amber eyes glittered in amusement as she rose from the gardenias to move over to the tulips, and Token followed, balancing precariously on the stone borders that kept each flower patch separate from each other. “You know very well that I have nothing against Stan and his friends. He’s sweet, if not a little sad all the time. Kenny’s fun and a gentleman. Kyle you know how I feel about.”

“And Cartman?” Token pressed, adjusting the yellow sweater loosely tied at the base of his neck.

Nichole paused, and then shrugged. “He got you and I together the first time around all those years ago, didn’t he?” Another weed went sailing over her shoulder. “Besides, he’s kind to me. We hold civil conversations about musicals he’s obsessed with.”

“ _Really?”_

“Is it truly that baffling?” Nichole pulled out another weed from within the tulips. “What matters is that he’s nice to me. We’ll work on him being nicer to everyone else eventually.”

“You are a saint,” Token mumbled helplessly.

Nichole laughed. “So I’ve been told. Seriously, though, he’s a good person.”

Token scoffed loudly. “Uh-huh.”

“I stand by what I said,” Nichole restated calmly. “Or sit, as the situation seems to be. And honestly, if he was such a bad person, then us being together was a bad idea as well.”

“...”

“He’s misguided, sunshine. At least, I’d like to think so. I like to think the best of people, even if there’s too little of it there,” With a critical eye, Nichole surveyed the tulips as she awaited her boyfriend’s answer.

“...” With a groan, Token conceded. “Once again, you’re right,” Token held up his hands in surrender, though there was a laugh threatening to escape his lips, judging from the twitching of the corners of his mouth. “I don’t even know why I bother, sweetpea. You’re going to find the good in everyone no matter how hard someone tells you that they’re irredeemable.”

The girl laughed, pausing in her weeding to look up at him. “Don’t stop trying, sunshine. Who knows, maybe you’ll win an argument someday.”

“But this wasn’t an argument,” Token laughed, looking down at her.

“Friendly banter?” Nichole teased, rising to her full height.

Token leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, grinning. “If you say it is.”

“You are a tease.”

“I’m reliable with the ladies, as they say.”

“That’s not what Wendy said,” Nichole told him, and laughed heartily at the pout that crossed his face. With a giggle, she stepped out from within the tulip patch, shrugging off her gloves, before telling him, “I was joking, sunshine. And you’re no Aaron Burr.”

“Not funny,” Token groaned as he hopped off the stones to stand next to her. “And I _could_ be Aaron Burr if I tried. But I don’t want to.”

“Estella’s been looking to add you to the cast for this year’s play for a while, though.”

“I can’t sing.”

“Oh, poppies and dandies, you _too_ can sing,” Nichole huffed, but there was a twinkle in her eye as she spoke. “Reconsider, maybe? Just try and audition, and if you don’t get in, that’s alright, but if you do, hooray! That means I finally have a Burr.”

Token stared. “... You’re playing Theodosia.”

“Theodosia doesn’t show up in the musical at all, sunshine - both mother and daughter,” Nichole teased. “But if you got in as Burr you could try and bargain with Estella to add dancing scenes between Burr and Theodosia Sr.”

“Deal,” Token agreed. “But like, okay. Back to my first question. Why aren’t you going camping with the rest of us? The whole batch is going.”

Nichole looked thoughtfully down at her muddied boots, brow creasing in what appeared to be nervousness from Token’s point of view, all jubilation from the previous conversation disappearing. “I... I don’t know. I’m not one for camping, really.”

“It’s more of a bonfire, honestly,” Token attempted to placate. “We’re going out to one of those nearby wide plains and whoever got allowed to go camping is going to be there. I know Red’s going to be there with Jason and Craig, and so are Heidi and Powder. You wouldn’t be the only girl there, and- you know, I’m there too, so that’s extra incentive,” He flashed a grin at her, and she giggled.

Nichole tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she sighed. “Well... I just... I don’t know. I’ve never gone camping before so I’m afraid I’ll... do something weird and people will think I’m strange for it.”

“Bullshit. I’ll fight them.”

“Sunshine, _don’t_. And language.”

Token deflated, but otherwise he said, “Sorry. But like, yeah. Sweetpea, it’s going to be fine. Whatever happens, I’ll be there to remedy it. Okay? Reconsider going?’

“...”

“I won’t press any further if you really don’t want to go, but if you decide sometime later on in the day that you want to go,” Token gave her a hug. “You can always just text me, and I’ll come over and pick you up. The guys won’t mind if we took a detour to your house to pick you up.”

Nichole returned the hug loosely, if only to spare her boyfriend from her dirty overalls. “... Thanks, sunshine. You’re the best.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too.”

* * *

That night, as Craig’s gang piled into Token’s shiny new car, Token took the time to glance at his phone, checking the screen to see if any notifications had popped up.

_**You have 0 new messages.** _

_Guess she’s not coming,_ Token thought quietly, and with a sigh, he craned his head around to check if everyone was in the car already. “Is everyone in? I’m gonna start the car.”

“Kevin’s still running an errand,” Clyde, sitting shotgun, informed him. “He’ll catch up later, I think? Unless we’re going now, in which case he might hitch a ride with Thomas and the Tuckers, minus Craiggy boy over here.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Token raised an eyebrow. “You sure? I thought Kevin was with you guys earlier, I know I saw you two at the ice cream parlor with Red and Bebe.”

“Yeah, wuh-w-weh.. w-well, he said he fuh-f-forgot he promised Esther s-suh-s-something, and just...” Jimmy made a skedaddling motion with his fingers. “Poof.”

Tweek just shook his head. “A-anyway, are we going, Token?”

Token glanced over his phone again.

_**You have 0 new messages.** _

“... Yeah, let’s go,” Token sighed, and faced the front of the car again, starting it up and driving towards the outskirts of town, where most of the batch would be gathering for the night’s bonfire. As Craig, Tweek, and Jimmy all chattered in the background with Clyde, who leaned back every now and then to converse with them, Token let himself be immersed in the feeling of driving, only glancing every now and then to see if there would be anything on his phone.

_**You have 0 new messages.** _

Token sighed. _Why do I keep checking if she’s going to text me?_

_**You have 0 new messages.** _

Tweek’s eyes shone curiously as Token’s hand brushed over his phone again to check for messages, before he sighed once more.  _She really isn’t coming._

_**You have 0 new messages.** _

_... I should’ve tried to convince her more..._ Craig looked up from his phone to see Token’s hand lingering over his own phone, checking again.

_**You have 0 new messages.** _

Token wanted to bang his head against the wheel.  _Or... I dunno. Maybe it’s not my place to just BEG her to-_

_**You have 1 new messages.** _

Token screeched to a stop, sending the other boys flying forwards and then backwards. Good thing they had on seatbelts.

“Jesus fuck, Token, what was that?!” Clyde demanded as Craig tried to soothe a jittery Tweek. Jimmy felt around for his fallen crutches, but, being unable to reach them, had to ask Craig to reach over for them.

Token ignored him in favor of opening the message.

**_From: Sweetpea_**

**_where are you?_ **

Not even Clyde would have been able to miss the delighted glint in Token’s eye as he typed out his reply rapid-fire.

**_To: Sweetpea_ **

**_We’re almost at the campsite. Why? Should I turn around and pick you up?_ **

A minute passed. And then, a reply.

**_From: Sweetpea_ **

**_don’t pick me up, okay? i just thought i’d text you to let you know._ **

**_From: Sweetpea_ **

**_i probably interrupted your driving, didn’t i?? :(( i’m sorry, you should probably head on over to the campgrounds. we can talk more later, okay, sunshine??_ **

Token visibly deflated, leaving the other boys to wonder what exactly Nichole had said to get him to react that way. With a morose sigh, he replied.

**_To: ** _Sweetpea_**_ **

**_It’s alright. And yeah, we’ll talk again later. TTYL? <3_ **

Token put down his phone, and with a sigh, restarted the car and drove the rest of the way there. He didn’t notice, however, the last message Nichole sent.

**_From: Sweetpea_ **

**_see you later!! <3_ **

* * *

As the boys piled out of the car, laughing among themselves, Token pocketed his phone, missing the little blinking green light indicating that he had a new message. He did, however, notice the sounds of footsteps approaching him from behind, and, looking up, he saw that the others had already gone towards where the commotion was, so that meant it was someone else behind him. Probably one of the others.

He turned around, and goggled.

“Hey,” Nichole greeted, smiling shyly up at him. She was wrapped only in a lilac scarf with a long pink jacket thrown over her dark gray blouse and black skirt, which she had embroidered with little pink flowers.

“You came?” were the first words that came out of his mouth, and at Nichole’s giggle, he flushed a little darker. “I mean, obviously you did, but- I thought you-”

“Surprise?” Nichole tried. “I thought about it and... well, it was Kevin who convinced me to go.”

“Unfair. How come you go when Kevin asks you to go?”

Nichole laughed, looping an arm around one of Token’s. “I can’t say no to Kevin, sunshine. Can _you_ say no to Kevin?”

“Well, no,” Token admitted, and Nichole laughed again.

“Dummy. Come on, let’s go head up towards the others.”

* * *

“So the belle of the ball actually came,” Clyde drawled, bowing dramatically to kiss Nichole’s hand. “A pleasure to have you this evening, Mademoiselle Daniels.”

Nichole laughed. “Oh, you.”

“I thought you weren’t coming!” Wendy exclaimed, delighted to see the girl. With a tight embrace, she asked, “What convinced you?”

“Kevin.”

“Ah.”

“Gahddammit Kevin,” was Cartman’s only thoughtless reply before Wendy lightly kicked him in the knee. Since he was already seated on the grass, it didn’t knock him down - it just stung a little. “Ah, fuck, bitch, don’t do that!”

“Reflex, sorry,” Wendy apologized before refocusing on Token and Nichole. “So. Now that everyone is really here, we can start the bonfire!”

“I’ve got the marshmallows!” Red cheered.

Timmy waved a bunch of sticks around. “Timmeh!”

“Yeah, we have the sticks!” Lola grinned, she and Esther both keeping Timmy’s wheelchair from sliding down the hill.

“The Goth kids have the li- hey, wait a minute,” Stan looked at where the Goth kids were supposed to be, and found only Michael, fiddling with what they assumed was the lighter. If anyone asked, Tweek certainly recognized it - he’d gifted one to each Goth kid on Christmas, and this one was the one he’d given the eldest. “Michael, where are Pete and Henrietta?”

“They weren’t coming, I told you already,” Michael grumbled. “I’m not conforming to them not coming, so yeah. Got the lighter or whatever.”

“Hold on, Damien isn’t coming?” Esther looked around. “We could’ve asked him to light up the bonfire for us.”

Tweek shook his head. “P-Pip’s hosting a sleepover with the transfers.”

“So that’s...” Milly counted on her fingers. “Pip, Damien, Gregory, Christophe, Estella, and Pocket?”

Jenny looked scandalized. “What?! We invited Estella to the bonfire, why’s she going to a sleepover with them?! She’s the only girl there!”

“I don’t think Estella particularly - SHIT! - cares,” Thomas sighed. “Besides, we invited the others too. Maybe they just - FUCK! - didn’t want to come.”

“Well, either way, we’ll respect their decisions,” Wendy nodded towards Michael. “We still have our means of setting things on fire anyway. Now what else is missing?”

“I have the kindling and tinder!” Powder tossed said kindling into the air, scattering it all over the grass. “... Oops.”

“Never mind that, we can push them all together later,” Heidi reassured before gesturing for the others to gather around.

As the ones who brought the materials gathered round, Token moved forward on Clyde’s insistence, the brunet’s hand clutched firmly in Bebe’s as he tugged on the darker skinned boy’s sleeve.

“C’mon, Token, let’s watch ‘em light the bonfire!” Clyde’s grin spread from ear to ear before he and Bebe squeezed their way past Tweek and Craig and Stan and Kyle. Token laughed, and was about to follow them, when he realized something crucial.

Turning around, he saw that Nichole had stayed behind, fiddling with her scarf quietly, eyes cast to the floor. He couldn’t see it thanks to the scarf, but he knew she was frowning - he could see it in her eyes.

“Sweetpea?” Nichole looked up at the sound of his voice, and she smiled wanly. Token approached her, concerned. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” She told him gently, but the look in her eyes didn’t disappear.

“You don’t look okay,” Token told her, taking one of her hands into his. “You really didn’t have to go tonight if you didn’t want to, you know. If you’re uncomfortable I’ll take you home right now, and we can watch Hamilton until one of us passes out.”

Nichole giggled, and then shook her head. “No, it’s- I came all this way, sunshine. You wanted so badly to see me go, didn’t you?”

“I- well-” Token sighed. “It would have been the best thing, yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your own comfort for mine. It wouldn’t have changed anything if you didn’t go tonight.”

“But I _wanted_ to go,” She argued lightly. “If not for the bonfire, then for you. I came here for you, and you are _not_ going to be able to send me back home easily, Token Black. I came here for you and so help me I will _stay_ here for you and you can’t tell me otherwise.”

Silence.

Token held a hand to his heart. “Woman, you give me the weirdest feelings in my heart.”

“Sometimes?”

“ _All_ the time. But especially when you do things like these.”

She laughed again, and, after a few moments, she tentatively moved closer and clung to his arm. “We can go to the bonfire now, if you want. I think they’re almost done setting up.”

Token glanced back, and, upon seeing Michael approaching the pile of sticks and kindling, nodded. “Let’s go, then. I’ll be right there with you.”

“And I you.”

* * *

“Nichole?”

Token didn’t know what had happened until it was too late.

He and Nichole had approached the bonfire, comfortably sitting next to Butters and Kenny, and everything had still been going fine then.

Michael had then flicked open the lighter, the small flame casting a faint glow on his face, and it was then that Token had felt Nichole’s grip on his arm tighten. He didn’t know what to make of it yet, but he had moved his arm to wrap her in a tighter embrace - those usually worked.

And then the pile was set ablaze.

It happened so fast that nobody had expected it, but the moment the flames rose high above their heads, Nichole had broken free of Token’s embrace, shaking. Those who noticed had looked at her, and had yelled in alarm when she had turned around and run away from the fire, heading straight for the forest nearby.

When Token asked the girls, none of them knew why she had run away, but one thing was for certain: they had to find her.

“Nichole? Sweetpea?”

Token searched the woods for the girl, as did everyone else in Craig’s gang and some of the girls - notably Red and Heidi - , but there was no trace of the girl anywhere. Not that they could tell, anyway. It was dark and the undergrowth seemed to be growing thicker.

“Where could she have gone?” Clyde asked him, wandering up to him.

Token shook his head. “I don’t know... she can’t have gone home yet, home was in the other direction. She must be around here somewhere.”

“Maybe we could look for her tomorrow.”

“No,” Token shook his head. “I can’t stand the thought of her just being alone here in the woods all night, dude. If you want to go back, it’s fine, but I’ll be searching for her all night if I have to.”

Clyde looked thoughtful. “We love her as much as you do, you know. She’s practically family.”

“I know,” was Token’s clipped response. “Clyde, just- go back to the bonfire, and to everyone else. Go with Craig, Tweek, Jimmy, and Kevin, and go back.”

“Are you su-”

“Just go. I’ll be able to find her.”

With only a quick bow of his head, Clyde ducked back and away from his taller friend, leaving the boy in the purple sweater to continue searching for his teary-eyed girlfriend in the dark forest, the only sounds being the crickets chirping and the occasional crunching of the leaves under his shoes.

“Nichole? Sweetpea, where are you?” Token called again, a hand outstretched to feel for supporting tree trunks near him. He’d be damned if he didn’t find her before the sun rose high above the mountains, and so help him, he’d lose all his limbs if it would bring her back to him safe and sound.

An owl hooted on a branch above him, and with a sigh, he looked up at it. “I don’t suppose _you_ know where Nichole is, do you?”

The owl tilted its head to the side, and for a moment Token could have sworn there was a glimmer of intelligence in its eyes. And then, with a hoot, it swooped down and tugged at Token’s yellow sweater, pulling him forward.

“H-hey-! Let go, you crazy-” Token struggled, but eventually decided that it really wasn’t worth risking the yellow sweater’s destruction - Nichole had made it for him, knitted it herself for quite some time without him finding out, and it held a special place in his heart next to all his cashmere sweaters. To see it ruined would hurt him more than it would Nichole. “Ugh, whatever- just drag me there if you want.”

If someone were to witness what was happening right now, they would have been treated to the comical sight of a tall teenage boy being dragged around by an owl barely one fourths his size, trying his hardest not to fall flat on his face on the ground. This transpired for another few minutes before the owl graciously let go of the sweater, perching quietly on a nearby branch as Token dusted himself off, glaring at it.

“What? Got tired of dragging me around already?” Token sniped.

The owl only looked beyond the trees in front of Token, through the small partitions, looking unusually solemn, and, raising an eyebrow, he trudged closer, leaning against one of the trunks to peer through the crack between the trees.

Nichole.

The forest near South Park housed many secrets, that everyone knew. Every day someone would discover something new inside it - usually by getting lost in it. David, for example, had gotten separated from the group on a nature walk, and had somehow discovered the bones of a long lost dinosaur half buried in the ground. Rebecca and Mark Cotswolds, on the other hand, had walked into a clearing where a sacrifice to some other dark lord or another ( _”Probably some sort of Lesser God,”_ Henrietta had mentioned casually, having overheard the conversation) was occurring.

In this instance however, Token and Nichole had discovered a clearing of flowers.

The owl hooted again, and Token looked up. It glided to the left a little before looking back at the clearing, and, following it, he discovered a gap between the trees - big enough for him to pass through if he tried hard enough.

Which he did.

Once he was sure his feet were on solid ground, Token turned to look at Nichole. The girl had her knees drawn up to her chin, her face buried in her arms as she sat among various flowers, the only source of light being the faint glow the moon cast on the whole clearing, illuminating only the girl and the flowers around her. Token could actually recognize a few flowers from when Nichole had pointed them out to him, some time ago - candystick, mountainbells, and even fairy slippers.

The only sounds between them were that of the wind, which whistled through the woods weaving around the two, and the shaky breathing, which Token knew was coming from Nichole.

Approaching her and crouching down by her side, he only put a hand on her shoulder - to let her know that he was there, that he would wait for her to respond to him. At first, she seemed to freeze under his touch, but, moments later, he was relieved to feel her loosening up, though she was still trembling. Once he was sure she knew it was him, he took care to sit down on a patch of grass and not on any of the flowers, and his hand found its way to one of her cheeks, searching, and finding, tears to wipe away.

She was crying.

Nichole let him take her into a warm embrace as she buried her face into his sweater, taking shuddering breaths every now and then, tears soaking into Token’s sweater. He didn’t mind, though - she could cry it all out on his sweater if she really wanted. Running his fingers through her hair, he only held her closer, until finally, the silent sobbing seemed to slow at last, and she began to breathe a little more evenly.

“Better?” He asked her gently.

Nichole nodded slightly, and he sighed in relief. She turned to look up at him with pretty amber eyes, which she then cast back down to the ground, before she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I probably made everyone worry,” was her timid reply, and Token only shook his head, holding her closer. “No, Token, I... I just ran off without warning. I’m- I’m really sorry-”

“It’s okay,” he told her kindly, and it was, really. He was just glad she was safe. “As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters. Though...” His gaze grew concerned. “This does bring up the question... what happened?”

“...” Nichole didn’t speak at first, opting instead to play with the loose threads on his sweater. He indulged her, just that once, and for a few minutes, none of them spoke. They only enjoyed each other’s company among the flowers, faces illuminated by pale moonlight.

“...”

“... hate... fr...”

“What?” Token looked at her.

Nichole didn’t look back at him. “... I’ve... always hated fire. I can never really... stand fire,” She curled closer to him. “It’s... fires of all shapes and sizes... they’re terrifying to me. I can never stand to be around them for long.”

“...” Token only listened intently, a frown marring his face. _I’ve... never known this before. In all our years of knowing each other... I didn’t know._

 _“_ I’ve never told anyone about this, honestly,” Nichole sighed into his chest. “I just... didn’t think it would come up. Like this, anyway.”

There’s a trembling in Nichole’s hands that makes Token take them into his, running a thumb over her knuckles gently, trying to soothe her. “... You should have told us.”

“I know,” was her rueful reply. “But I just... I don’t like remembering.”

“Remembering...?”

“... Two years before I moved to South Park, I attended a family reunion during Christmas,” She whispered, voice as low as it could possibly be, but to Token it was like she was speaking in her normal voice, with how silent the woods were. “I... somebody didn’t watch one of the candles... it... it spread fast, the- the f-fire, and...” It was here that Nichole’s whole body began to shake. “It was- everything was black- everyone was screaming- I couldn’t-”

Token’s embrace tightened as she began to sob. “It was- they were screaming- I lost- it- I lost half my family- it burned them alive- I-I couldn’t- I was only eight- _god,_ it was horrifying-”

“Nichole. Nichole, please, _breathe_ ,” Token whispered fervently, peering into her tear-filled eyes. It didn’t seem like she could see him at the moment, however - reflected in her irises were fires of the brightest orange and red.

Fires that he wished he could take away, if only to bring her the peace of mind she deserved but could never have.

She didn’t deserve this kind of misery, this kind of torment. She didn’t deserve to have it happen to her, of all people - he had thought her untouchable, an angel who deserved nothing less but the good things in life. To have had such a tragedy happen to her, at such an early stage in her life - it was like someone had taken a spoon and carved out a portion of his heart.

It hurt him to see her like this. To see her sad - heartache. To see her in tears - heartbreak. To see her sobbing - agony. Pure, heart-wrenching agony.

Token, for once in his life, didn’t know what to do.

Unable to think of anything else, he held her even closer, engulfing her in a warm embrace that he hoped would take away the pain she was feeling, if only for tonight. He wished he could take on her sadness, her tears - just for her. As she cried into his shoulder, Token closed his eyes, feeling the wetness seep through his sweater and onto his shoulder, but he didn’t care - all he cared about was her feeling better.

She deserved that much.

It would be much, much later, when the moon was at its highest in the sky and at its brightest, when Nichole’s crying would finally cease for real, and as she turned her head so that her cheek instead was resting on his chest, Token thought he might burst with the relief overflowing from him. She was done crying. That meant...

... she was feeling a little better.

“... thanks...” He looked down at her, and she looked back up at him, giving him a watery smile. “... for coming after me, I mean. And... for caring.”

“I love you,” was his only response, as if it answered the unheard question Nichole had put forth - _why did you do it?_

Her watery smile grew wider. “I love you too.”

**_You have 1 new messages._ **

The notification startled both of them, and, shifting a little, Token reached for his phone and pulled it out.

**_From: taco son_ **

**_yo toke the bonfires like over now and everyones like goin into their tents n stuff now_ **

“Who...” Nichole sniffed. “Who is it?”

**_**_From: taco son_ **  
_ **

**_**_like if u found nic already the girls already have like a tent set up for her to share w annie if she wants_ ** _ **

"Clyde,” Token informed her.

**_**_**_From: taco son_ **  
_ ** _ **

**_**_**_were gonna be the ones sharin a tent yeah but like if u guys want to sharea  tent instead tell me cause im bebes new messenger boy_ ** _ ** _ **

**_**_**_**_From: taco son_**  
_ ** _ ** _ **

**_**_**_annie and bebe say to tell nichole theyre rly worried bout her and that they hope shes ok if u did find her_ ** _ ** _ **

Token briefly gave Nichole Annie and Bebe’s regards, something that, somehow, seemed to bring a wan smile to her face - something that made Token feel relieved.

**_From: taco son_ **

**_so like yea have u found her uve been gone a whiel_ **

“Token...?”

He looked at her. “Yes?”

“... Can we... stay a little longer, here? Just us?” Nichole mumbled. “I... I don’t think I’m ready to go back yet.”

Token looked at their surroundings. The clearing seemed pretty quiet, and safe, and enclosed, for the moment. It didn’t look like anything could get to them in that little spot... “Alright. As long as you feel better.”

“Thank you.”

**_To: taco son_ **

**_Yeah. Found her._ **

The moment he sent the text, a sudden influx of messages hit his phone, making Nichole blink at how fast he tried to read all of them.

**_From: taco son_ **

**_B RO BORB OBROBRO B ROBORBOBo h oLp Y shIT HOW IS S HHEEEEEE_ **

**_From: padawan son_ **

**_token !! hows nic ?? tell her i hope she feels better cause she looked pretty stressed : ((_ **

**_From: coffee son_ **

**_take care of ni c ok even though i k n ow shesin goo dhands with u_ **

**_From: peruvian son_ **

**_Tell Nic that were gonna watch Red Racer and Heathers when she gets back because were gonna cheer her up_ **

**_From: news son_ **

**_Token! How is she? Is she hurt or anything? Hope you guys get back to the campgrounds safe!_ **

**_From: fatass_ **

**_be safe nic_ **

**_From: Kyle_ **

****_Hey. If Nichole’s going through something, tell her that we’ll always be here for her. - Kyle  
_ ****_yeah shes our friend we want to know shes alright - stan  
_ ****_< 3 <3 <3 <3 <3 take care nic we love and care for you!!! - Butters  
and don’t forget safety <3  
_

**_From: Kyle_ **

**_That last one was Kenny I’m so sorry oh my God._ **

**_From: Bebe_ **

**_TOKEN TELL NICHOLE THAT ALL THE GIRLS SEND THEIR REGARDS BECAUSE WE LOVE OUR SUNFLOWER SISTER_ **

“Look at this,” Token showed her the messages, smiling. As she scrolled through all of them, he sighed, saying, “They’re all really worried about you, you know. Should I tell them that we’re staying a little longer?”

Nichole considered it, and nodded slightly. “... Yeah. I think... I’d like to just lie down here among the flowers and stare up at the stars with you. Just for now.”

“... Alright.”

**_To: taco son, padawan son, coffee son, peruvian son, news son, fatass, Kyle, Bebe_ **

**_I gave her your regards. She wants to stay here a little longer, though. She just needs to feel a little better._ **

Nichole whispered something into his ear, and he smiled, kissing her temple, before adding to the text one last time.

**_Oh... and she says thank you. And that she loves you all too._ **

He pressed send, and then, putting down the phone, he laid down on the grass, among the candystick, among the mountainbells, among the fairy slippers. Nichole followed suit, stretching out next to him, and together, they watched the sky and the stars above.

When he glanced at her, at some point during the night, and saw a smile on her face as she pointed out a constellation, his heart lightened at the sight, and it was then that he knew.

She was going to be alright.


End file.
